gaming

A love letter to video games

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

December 29, 2018 by teresaelectro Leave a Comment

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was a more recent CBR9 book exchange gift. The backlash for the book was pretty intense, but with the recent film adaptation, I was curious to read it for myself. Thus, I was glad my Mocha Girls Read book club picked it for our white male author theme. I ended up finishing it over 4th of July and surprisingly enjoyed the pop culture filled story. The story follows Wade on an epic quest to essentially save the internet from a fascist capitalist demise. A genius programmer, Halliday created The Oasis, a virtual world so amazing […]

12/29/2018 teresaelectro's CBR10 Review No:16 |

I’ve just experienced a tutorial for a game I’ll never play

Dungeon Born by Dakota Krout

October 11, 2018 by crystalclear Leave a Comment

If there was ever a book written by a gamer, this is it. This is an in-depth tutorial on how to be and grow a dungeon. Complete with helpful glowing orb! (“Hey, listen!) I don’t really mind it, but I can see how the style would annoy some people, either those who know nothing about gaming or who already know waaay too much about gaming. Our helpful will-o-the-wisp is our guide in how to grow a dungeon core into a bigger and badder dungeon. We also have levels (at one point, we are trying to grow into a F9 level) […]

10/11/2018 crystalclear's CBR10 Review No:25 |

Arena

Arena by Holly Jennings

September 25, 2016 by Dome'Loki Leave a Comment

“Arena” is the debut novel by Holly Jennings, another subscription pick by my bookstore. “Arena” sat on my bookshelf for several months after coming home from the bookstore. The opening blurb on the inside cover reads, “EVERY WEEK, KALI LING FIGHTS TO THE DEATH ON NATIONAL TV. SHE’S DIED HUNDREDS OF TIMES. AND IT NEVER GETS EASIER…..”. After it stops shouting, you are informed how she is part of a Virtual Gaming League, competing in the premier tournament of the season. “And though their weapons and armor are digital, the pain is real”. And this is about where I tuned out […]

9/25/2016 Dome'Loki's CBR8 Review No:11 |

Next-Gen Business

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation by Blake J. Harris

August 13, 2016 by terroringlasses Leave a Comment

Console Wars is a riveting industry expose. Author Blake J. Harris tells the story of the late 80s/early 90s videogame renaissance, and the battle for market dominance between elder statesman Nintendo and impertinent upstart Sega. Harris hinges the narrative on Sega of America’s CEO, Tom Kalinske. Kalinkske himself is a disgraced businessman, once the driving force behind Barbie’s can-do attitude at Mattel. He is recruited to SoA by then-president of Sega Enterprises, Hayao Nakayama. The goal: revitalize Sega in the American market, and beat Nintendo at its own game. Harris does a terrific job of building tension and character. Even […]

8/13/2016 terroringlasses's CBR8 Review No:15 |

Ho Hum. So Much Nostalgia, So Much Meh.

Armada by Ernest Cline

January 17, 2016 by lainiefig 2 Comments

Do I love The Last Starfighter? Do I need a new novel version of it? Meh. Do I love 80’s games and remember them fondly? Hell yeah, but even I got a bit tired of the references and repetitiveness in this book. This may be unrelated but these were my personal favorites: I listened to the audiobook of Armada because I so enjoyed the previous audiobook by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One, also read by Wil Wheaton. This novel also threw in a lot of nostalgia for 80’s movies, games, and music, but it just got a bit tedious this time. The […]

1/17/2016 lainiefig's CBR8 Review No:2 |

You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day

December 15, 2015 by Sophia Leave a Comment

I was prowling through my library, on the search for a romance novel only available in print, when I spied You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost) (2015) by Felicia Day, sitting out on a display table. I know Felicia Day from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which I loved, but that’s about it. Curious, I cracked open the book to get a feel for it and read the first paragraph of the introduction: “I recently experienced the perfect summary of my career at a Build-A-Bear store inside a suburban mall in Lancaster, California. Okay, sure, a single adult woman in her […]

https://cannonballread.com/2015/12/31053/

12/15/2015 Sophia's CBR7 Review No:53 |

A sneakily intellectual graphic novel about a girl learning to love gaming.

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang

December 31, 2014 by narfna Leave a Comment

Read this all in one go before work one morning last month and really, really liked it. If it had just been a story about a girl and her second gaming life I would have liked it anyway, but it also had some really unexpected stuff about economics and labor, which is not something you exepct to find in a book whose artwork makes you want to hug a pillow because it’s so adorable. You know pretty quickly, though. The book opens with an essay by the author explaining his motivations in writing it, and right away he starts throwing around […]

12/31/2014 narfna's CBR6 Review No:101 |

A nostalgic meditation on friendship, drifting apart, and what drives people to create video games.

YOU by Austin Grossman

April 17, 2014 by Renton Leave a Comment

YOU is a contemplative and finely crafted novel where every page bleeds with love for the medium and old acquaintances. Russell and his childhood friends Darren, Lisa and Simon were four very different kids brought together by a love of roleplaying games and programming. While his friends went on to form one of the most successful gaming companies in the industry, Russell instead spent his post-degree life drifting through various unfulfilling jobs. 1994 rolls along, and he finds himself winding up with a job at the aforementioned company, Black Arts, but things are not as they should be. Simon has […]

4/17/2014 Renton's CBR6 Review No:7 |

Mswas on The Country of MoneySame here! I think I gasped aloud when I saw it had been reviewed, and Ale - you make it seem so enticing (as if...
KimMiE" on Quick Questions with a Cannonballer: MarkAbaddonI can relate to the idea of reading and other activities to escape political stress. The cute doggie probably helps, also.
Ellesfena on Book Exchange Sign-up 2019 – Let’s Gift Books!Yes!!! It was me! I'm glad you liked it. I bought myself a copy of Volume One the same time I got yours, and I...
J on The concept is better than the executionFor all its problems, I enjoyed this first series immensely. The back-and-forth with Sophie and Agatha gets old quickly, and the mythology doesn't quite work,...
Leedock on InterludeYes. Not nearly enough Charlotte/Lord Ingram steaminess for me, though. There were moments, to be sure, but definitely pulled back from book 3. Really it...

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